As both Canada and the US had their national holiday celebrations, the sales of North American construction framing dimension softwood lumber slowed somewhat.
Due to the ongoing situation of very tight inventories, some prices did actually rise.
Customers who needed to buy wood had to search around among their contacts to find the specific tallies they needed. The majority of conversations continued to be about transportation, as rail cars and especially trucks were difficult to source.
Indications were that transportation issues will become even more challenging as freight conditions are indeed worsening.
The expected very hot weather arrived to large parts of the continent, putting a slow-down to industrial activity, including home building. Wildfires broke out in many timber-supply regions.
In the week ending July 03, 2026 the price of Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$500 mfbm, which flat from the previous week, said weekly forest products industry price guide newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter.
That week’s price was up +$5, or +1%, from one month ago when it was $495.
Most lumber commodities and plywood showed sustained price momentum even in the face of dual national holiday celebrations in Canada and the US.
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KEY TAKE-AWAYS:
• Sellers of Western-SPF in the US continued to be challenged by tight inventories at all levels.
• Buyers there were often frustrated by a prevailing lack of availability of mixed tallies and of specific items.
• Sawmills in the Pacific Northwest maintained order files into late July, not pushing further as there could be opportunities to get higher numbers.
• Lean inventories of Western-SPF in Canada put pressure on buyers to come back to the table frequently, securing short-term coverage
• With western Canadian sawmill order files into the back half of July, players expected the market to retain its robustness into August.
• Eastern-SPF production was already running leaner than usual, and Québec mills were entering their two-week summer shutdown period.
• Retailers continued to buy hand-to-mouth, finding themselves scrambling more and more for coverage.
• The strength of demand for Southern Yellow Pine surprised both mills and customers to varying degrees.
• Eastern Stocking Wholesalers struggled with both cross-country and intrastate transportation, finding delivery times very inconsistent.
Madison’s Benchmark Top-Six Softwood Lumber and Panel Prices: Monthly Averages
